We hadn't planned on coming to Penang, but when we left Bangkok it was Thai New Year. We were lucky to get a seat on a VIP overnight bus to Hat Yai near the Malaysian border, and when we arrived our choice was a minivan to Penang or a fine for overstaying our visa!

The minivan dropped us off downtown in front of the Komtar Complex. We walked for about 10 minutes checking out hotels along the way and came across the Continental. It was old, but clean enough and said to have Wi-Fi. We were hot and tired after a marathon 20-odd hour journey from Bangkok so checked in. The Wi-Fi/internet access was down when we checked in and was still down when we checked out the following morning, moving to the hotel next door.

As an older hotel, the room was fairly large and clean, with a kettle but no cups or supplies, a fridge and small TV with local channels only.

Breakfast was definitely not worth the effort - even the tea and coffee were horrible.

One thing we couldn't fault was the location - on Penang Road, in little India, within easy walking distance to supermarkets, the Chinatown wet market, local and tourist eateries and the Komtar shopping mall.